Friday, 26 October 2012

This week saw UK media discussion and political debate again
relating to initiatives to reduce re-offending. But are all the elements needed
for successful transition really understood by society?

I am actively helping
ex: offenders and also their families to make the transition to a new life and
my interest, is seeing support for real people change taking place.

However I would like to see this approached through
a joined-up mind-set of experts, specialists, communities and involving ex:
offenders too. These 4 are the key stakeholder
Groups that have a vested interest and not unlike many other change activities you
see within; Education, Business, Healthcare and Public Sector; it only works
when stakeholders come together to design and deliver the change. Not as easy
as it sounds though.

In the UK I detect a dis-jointed
understanding of what drives people into crime, but more importantly what keeps
them locked within the temptation of crime, and the type of deep damage to
society when scaled up and across the UK. Damage to; communities, families and
of course to the public purse. I don’t see an acceptance of the fact that crime
is something that not only affects everyone, but to address it effectively, it
needs to involve everyone too. Emotions run high when you ask people their
views on crime and what drives it – especially from those who have never
experienced it within their close family and are blinded by bias and
mis-information.

My response to this recent media attention and debate is to
challenge it by asking "if you were able to research all newly released or
recently released ex: offenders, do you think that many are emotionally prepared
for what they need to face out here in order to be able to create a new life
and evade criminal temptation?" By asking this I am not asking for
sympathy for ex: offenders, but I am asking for an understanding of what it is
that drives people to take-up crime again. Only then do you determine the keys
for change and the engagement needed into that change. After all, if you
humanize a situation and ask society to look at the emotional and behavioural
aspects they often become very open and empathetic – rather than irrational.

I am a firm believer in changing what drives the person, by
utilising resources and insight that surround them right now. What makes the
person tick and look at the world today, what drives them in the context they
live within today and how are they relating to their extended family and
support ensures that they realise what the start point is. Many people simply
don’t know anything better/any better way than what they have become accustomed.
Give them an understanding of what their needs are, such as; consistency, love/connection
and feeling significant to others, they can then realise that these are factors that
drive us all - nothing unique. Give them access to other ex: offenders to work with and they see that can they
are not unique in feeling vulnerable and uncertain of the future now they are
outside the gate. A need for money and an ability to make it also drives them –
as with us all. We need to create a mechanism that they can join, that takes
them through a transition that actually means something and is designed to be funded by success across all 4
stakeholder groups.

This basic human aspect understanding is missing from the “how to reduce
reoffending” debate. Millions are spent processing and managing the results of
crime, each week. Yet only hundreds are spent helping support ex: offenders and
their families to make a positive transition and move into a new life. The
ratio is wrong and the return on the investment of processing and managing the
results of crime is debatable.

To reverse the ratio, see a reduction in spend on processing
and managing, re-using the money to develop new initiatives to support
transition “outside the gate” inside the community, is where I see a tangible
opportunity to reduce re-offending. But all stakeholders need to be involved and engaged.

BUT, this would be a long and frustrating
process requiring honest, balanced political involvement and use of media to
better communicate the journey to society – less about scoring points and more
about creating and managing a momentum of deep change.

Monday, 27 February 2012

Many people, each year, go through a Transition and when doing so experience immense emotional upheaval. When you look-up the term Transition, it is defined as "passage from one form, state, style, or place to another". Transition boils down to being something like; Outplacement/Redundancy, Separation/Divorce, leaving College or University or even stepping up into a Promotion or taking a New Job. Transition can be a major event too, for people like ex: Forces personnel, where it is a full life change which takes them from one environment, culture and community to a new and often alien one.

I introduce Transition as being "when you are leaving behind the sense of who you are and where you have established an identity/connection (expressed in a current work or lifestyle) to start afresh".

The impact emotionally of adjusting to new cultures at work or socially, understanding behaviours and politics around you, dealing with new relationships and finding inner motivations to keep yourself going, I suspect is not something you will have ever been told to consider, when making a change to some aspect of your life.

Another major factor is the wider impact of a person's Transition upon any immediate family, colleagues, friends or acquaintances and that can cause longer term issues that need to be addressed.

Time to consider this...One of the most important things to recognise in your life today, is that all around us are factors that will significantly affect how we live our lives! From the moment you wake, other people are impacting upon you. Their thinking, emotions and behaviours will inhibit or facilitate you as you go through each day.

Many of us are never taught about the People Factor as we grow up, i.e. the thinking, emotions and behaviours that go on all around us, which drive the best and worst decisions, making or breaking relationships and inhibiting or facilitating progress (planned or unplanned). We all struggle(d) with "Why" things are happening as they are, "How" to get things under control again....

Teacher becomes Manager... training wasn't enough!A client attended one of my Transition workshops, because although she undertook and self-funded specific training she felt would help her in the move into management (moving into a new school to take the role), she was struggling to settle into the role and was finding that the Transition was quite stressful and emotionally exhausting. Not uncommonly the Transition process she had undertaken, had not incorporated her own needs and how to plan for and adapt to the thinking, emotions and behaviours of people she was going to be working with and leading. It didn't have any evaluation method for evenings and weekends.

The balance of insightful People Factor planning and methodical self evaluating was missing.

In essence she was stuck adjusting to new cultures at work, not understanding behaviours and politics around her, trying to build new relationships and through all of this emotional turmoil, trying to find inner motivations to keep herself going.

Do you recognise this?
Transition, as I have stated above, is something that many people are involved with. However, not many consider the people aspect (themselves and their needs, plus how to navigate the thinking, emotions and behaviours they will face). If you are taking a new job, have lost your job, are in a difficult stage in your relationship, have a teenager who is going through a difficult stage, or perhaps you are in the middle of a major change at work..... this is Transition. How you deal with the People Factor, determines how you cope and continue without stress and strain.

The People Factor is not "fluffy" stuff, it is real and does make an impact upon your life.

If you want to know more about making the Transition in your life more effective and rewarding (for you and others) consider how you deal with the People Factor.

Until next time.... Jay

By The Way....... yes she is continuing in the role and I am helping her. Never give up!